Special '25

So this is how a Gibson LP Special looks like now. Nothing too different from the predecessors not too long ago & there's a return to the wrap over bridge which might be a hit / miss with some of us, especially the intonation purists. Not aware if there's a strong call for the Special to feature non-standard size humbuckers but that's the spec this 2025. There's a bridge P90 version if you are keen. My experience with these mini humbuckers - be prepared to embrace the brightness. Rather excessive.

Pics: Gibson

 

Price watch (79)

This LP Special was available before the Heritage - Gibson debacle. It was in the $1.3+/- price range, it came with a bag. 'Rare' & 'collector's item' here are purely the seller's interpretation & opinion of the current situation. Yes, Gibsons are not available at the stores here but these are arguably within reach (Music Bliss @ Malaysia). That $2,760 price tag does not come with a bag, FYI.

Psyched (2)

So this was the pre-occupation for the entire week - Seymour Duncan's Psyclone humbuckers. These are not high output pickups to feed your heavy metal ambitions with, be informed. They are Filtertron-esque models with standard humbucker mounting flaps. This intelligent re-interpretation means you can now fit them into your humbucking guitars & need not worry about drilling holes into the body for accommodation. I've been eyeing a particular Godin guitar here which are Filtertron equipped as it's on my bucket list. With the availability of these Seymour Duncan alternative, it's a less costly affair for me; just get the pickups, not the entire guitar.

If you are looking for a bass-inclined pickup, steer clear of the Psyclone. These are meant to sharpen a trebly experience so that things don't mud-out if you keep your distortion high. You know, it's the Brian Setzer mojo without buying the $3K Gretsch. I might be doing it wrong by having them in a solid body instrument & turn the amp's gain way up but that's me in a nutshell; if it doesn't serve my needs, it takes a back seat. I'm not into clean tones as well but these offer a different clean experience, moving away from the vintage, rounded treble PAF experience. Still in the classic territory but nothing boomy. I am able to dial up those raw, Darkthrone type, open picked bass notes with this one so I'm a happy camper in the mean time. 

A quick re-string & it's the nearest set that I could grab - D'Addario.

No regrets having them in my LPS, I had been planning to replace the DiMarzios which resided there for some time already but bent on trying something different & the Psyclone was the perfect opportunity. By the way, this is one of those guitars I bought online for a whole lot of trouble but worth the hassle. The store was clearing them for cheap & the humbucking version just clicked with me (Specials are P-90 equipped, traditionally). Purists might reject the torrified maple fretboard (yes, it was that year Gibson got raided for wood & they took the rosewoods away) but I went with what I prefer.

Seymour Duncan Psyclones are available @ Davis GMC as a matched pair or individuals. 

New Year Eve

Good Sunday morning, guitar-verse! It's the holiday eve but the weather turned rather early in the morning. After an emphatic clap of thunder in the wee hours of the morning, I couldn't sleep.

Spent time with this Gibson & let me share some stuff: 1) This is the first guitar I ever bought online. I am totally against buying instruments I cannot handle in person before trying but I decided to jump into unknown territory. If I received a lemon, it'd be a very costly affair but I could say I tried & it turned out foul. One of the reasons I was enticed to buy this piece of very not-my-type instrument was because of a very deep price slash; it's a mere USD300+ but the shipping cost really killed it. Fortunately, it was shared between myself & a friend (who managed to secure his first ever lefty Gibson SG at a bargain price, of course) so the rot was kept in check. Why is it not my type?

• it's a Les Paul
• it has limited upper access
• no belly cut, no elbow slope
• Gibson pickups are not my thing
• that's not a rosewood fretboard in there (it's my first encounter with baked maple)

2) It's my only Gibson with DiMarzios. Not everybody's discourse, I know. Between the default Gibson humbuckers & DiMarzio, I'd rather settle with the latter. Don't get me wrong, I do not harbour discontent with all things DiMarzio but, save for some models, they don't give me what I want to hear. Both DiMarzios you see here were purchased from the annual Swee Lee sale which is now defunct. They were no more than SGD80 each after the price cuts. Bridge: Tone Zone, Neck: Humbucker from Hell. I had my beef with the Tone Zone because it sounded rather bad in my Ibanez RG but that was history. I gave it a chance here & it fared better, not that it really appealed to me but after dialing in gobs of distortion, it's a pretty decent pickup for what it's for.

Was this a totally deadened affair with nothing to like? Not at all. Firstly, the slim taper neck profile was a joy to play. This is the other shred neck for me, this side of an Ibanez RG Super Wizard profile. It's not even trying to rival an Ibanez, just another manifestation that clicked (with my playing). Secondly, the Tone Zone turned out more appealing than expected for distortion applications & I don't see it departing any time soon. The main take away with this Gibson is that, we should not totally dismiss something that's not tailored for our inclinations. It's an opportunity to adapt, that's how I see it. I have a limited liking for Les Pauls but that does not mean I won't play them at all.

PS: The guitar you see in this entry is a Gibson Les Paul Special, humbucker edition. It was purchased online from Musiciansfriend. Waiting for people to ask me, "Hey, I thought they don't ship stuff to SG?"

Special Monday

I bought this one to embrace the fact that a flat top Les Paul is as much a Les Paul as its carved top counterpart. In fact, Les Paul himself preferred a flat top version as the instrument delivers the required tone independent of how the body's top surface was constructed. This Special was a later model that featured a non-rosewood fretboard. Yes, it's that down year when Gibson was having issues with its acquired timber. As such, many instruments at his point in time feature an alternative fretboard material, some were synthetic replacements. I'm just glad this one has real wood in there. 

Special morning

Managed to squeeze some juice out of my Gibson LP Special before I left the house this morning. I'm definitely not an LP fan but let's not get there. I like this guitar because it's a little wayward compared to its other LP siblings; a flat top LP... that's repulsive if you worship the LP for its aesthetics. 

Also, I have DiMarzios in there instead of retaining the default Gibson humbuckers. I have no obligations to like those so out they went in favour of my preferred substitutes (well, DiMarzios not exactly my cup of tea but I apreciate what they have to offer). More importantly, any guitar I acquire should serve my needs, not comply to the flavour of the moment.

Alright, enjoy the holiday moments & lots of memorable merry-making to those of you heading out for house visits. Me- I'm heading to Beez's :-)